As well as the church and the pubs etc., there is also a very nice Heritage Centre where various traditional music, singing and dance events are held, including a rambling house once a month where people come along to entertain and be entertained in the traditional way.

There are three pubs nearby which stand next to each other, and a commemorative statue of Padraig O'Keeffe the renouned Sliabh Luachra fiddle master.

I was going to post a blue clicky of Wikipedia, but here is a much better piece on Padraig by Terri Talarek King:

Padraig O'Keeffe: In the Core of Sliabh Luachra

It can safely be said that no one person has provided more influence and inspiration in the Sliabh Luachra tradition than Padraig O'Keeffe. Padraig was born on October 8, 1887, the eldest of nine children, right in the core of Sliabh Luachra. He remained in the same house in Gleanntan (Gloutane), halfway between Ballydesmond, County Cork and Castleisland, County Kerry. Ever the bachelor, he referred to his fiddle as "the missus". Padraig had a foot in two centuries, not only by birth but by the way he inherited his music. And his music became the core of tradition in Sliabh Luachra.

His father, John O'Keeffe, was the master at the local Gleanntan School. After some academic training at Dublin, Padraig followed his father by becoming the principal teacher of Gleanntan School in 1915. But his first love was music (he kept his fiddle on the school wall to play at lunchtime) and it became apparent to Padraig himself as well as others that he wasn't suited to his job as schoolmaster. In 1920, Padraig left (or was asked to leave) his position. This freed him to pursue his career as a full-time fiddle and accordion teacher for the rest of his life, though he gave up financial stability.

Padraig was the last of the old travelling music teachers. He would travel up to 20-30 miles per day, on foot, calling at the houses of his pupils. Padraig developed his own notation system that he would use when writing down tunes for pupils, one for fiddle and another for accordion. He rarely needed to bring along a fiddle, as most houses had one for him to use.

Padraig's reputation was soon established all over Sliabh Luachra , and then beyond, through his legacy of students and his own playing in the houses, dance halls and pubs. Radio broadcasts and recording for Raidio Eireann (RTE) in 1948-49 and for the BBC in 1952 spread his fame worldwide. Collectors, musicians and folklorists flocked to the Sliabh Luachra area and this formerly isolated style of music became well known and admired.

Padraig had an extensive repertoire of tunes, especially polkas and slides, which the local people preferred for dances. He was known as a sensitive player of slow airs (the more plaintive, the better). He liked reels, which he probably picked up mostly from gramophones and published tune sources, and so played them more than most Sliabh Luachra musicians. He was said to bring a higher degree of refinement to Sliabh Luachra music, paying meticulous attention to detail. Though Padraig played much for dances, he preferred what he called "listening music", where he could explore the tune's possibilities further. Perhaps his most creative rendering of a traditional tune was the air Old Man Rocking the Cradle. Padraig would hold a large door key in his mouth and use it to periodically mute strings. This would give the eerie effect of a baby crying "Mama" while he played the tune.

And what influenced Padraig O'Keeffe? Mostly his mother's family, the O'Callaghans of Doon, near Kiskeam, County Cork. His mother, Margaret O'Callaghan, played concertina and fiddle. Padraig was most influenced by his mother's brother, Callaghan O'Callaghan, a well- known contemporary of Tom Billy Murphy (more on him later). The O'Callaghans got much of their music from Corney Drew, a blind fiddler from their area, and Corney inherited his music from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. From there and on down the line, Padraig got the unusual tunes he played in his lifetime and passed on to his own pupils.

Padraig also got music from Tom Billy Murphy (1879-1944). Tom Billy, blind and lame, was a highly regarded fiddler and teacher from Ballydesmond. He traveled the area widely, by donkey, teaching and playing. Padraig himself, besides teaching, spent much time among company in the pubs, where he was known as a very entertaining personality. Unfortunately, the only photographs of him show an old worn man, often with a pint, past his prime. Also, recordings of him were done when he was beyond his peak, but still show the great skill, intelligence, creativity and diversity of Padraig O'Keeffe. Padraig had become ill during the exceptionally cold winter of 1962-63. He died on February 22, 1963 of pneumonia, at the age of 75, leaving quite a legacy of pupils and others who were influenced by him.

Padraig O'Keeffe's sphere of influence, even just among his most famous pupils, reads like a very complicated musical genealogy chart. One of his most famous pupils is Johnny O'Leary (born 1924) of Manlykeavean, near Gneevguilla. Johnny is still pulling great tunes from his C#/D accordion and has been a great influence on others, including fiddler Connie O'Connell. He was at Padraig O'Keeffe's bedside at the hospital in Tralee, having the last witty conversation with him. Tom Billy Murphy was a neighbor of Johnny's, and so gave him music. Tom Billy also taught Johnny's uncle, Dan O'Leary, who gave music to his nephew.

Johnny O'Leary was a musical partner of Denis Murphy, until Denis' death in 1974. Denis (born 1910), of Lisheen, was considered Padraig's "star pupil". Denis came from an extended family of fiddlers, including his father Bill "The Weaver" Murphy and his sister Julia Murphy Clifford. Denis made his living as a turf-cutter, but not much of a living, so he and his wife emigrated to New York in 1949. Denis and sister, Julia, played there with other famous Irish musicians. Kerry to the core, the Murphy's returned to Lisheen in 1965. Denis was probably the best-loved and most influential pupil of O'Keeffe. His sudden death in 1974 shocked the world of Irish traditional music.

Denis' sister Julia was the most versatile fiddler of the Murphy's, and another star pupil of O'Keeffe's. She had a keen ear for tunes, learned them quickly and played them creatively. Julia married accordionist Johnny Clifford, and they produced a son, Billy Clifford, who became a well -known concert flutist. Together, John, Julia and Billy Clifford played as The Star of Munster Trio.

Another famous O'Keeffe pupil, Terry 'Cuz' Teahan, was born in Gleantann in 1905. He was a student of O'Keeffe's at the local school, then emigrated to Chicago in 1928. He played concertina , accordion and fiddle, and was also quite a composer of slides and polkas. Many of his tunes became very popular in Ireland and elsewhere. He died in 1989.

So many musicians got tunes or learned style from Padraig O'Keeffe or one of his pupils (or pupils of pupils). For example, accordionist Jackie Daly got tunes from O'Keeffe pupil Jim Keefe. Other famous Padraig O'Keeffe pupils include the Cronin brothers (Johnny and Paddy), Jerry McCarthy, Dan and Ned O'Connor, Mikey Duggan and Andrew (Sonny) Riordan..........

This is part of a longer piece called "The Music of Sliabh Luachra: Not Just A Bunch of Polkas"

Have a read, very interesting.

Rog

PS Johnny O'Leary, who in Nov. 2003 was inducted into The Trditional Music Hall of Fame, sadly passed away in 2004. In 2007 a statue of Johnny was erected in Killarney.